BEST OF THE WEB
 Rock the System |
This guide, sponsored by Rock the Vote, aims to explain the healthcare reform issue to young Americans as it relates to them. It is simply, yet elegantly designed with an attractive button-based menu. Some menu choices lead to stories
about health issues that concern young adults the most: AIDS/HIV, pregnancy, violence, substance abuse, and mental health.
What's remarkable about these stories is that they convey the boring stuff -- statistics, legislative information, etc. -- in an interesting manner using real-world examples and good writing. These stories are well illustrated, too.
Another menu choice brings you to an article about current legislation. It, too, is a good read; if you want more depth, key issues and other items are highlighted, and clicking on them brings up more background. A glossary is also available.
Rock the System's goal is not to encourage young Americans to take any particular stand on the healthcare reform debate. Rather, it seeks only to inform. And at that, it does a magnificent job.
 Thomas Legislative Information |
This site, named after Thomas Jefferson, is simply the most comprehensive, best organized collection of information on federal legislation available anywhere. It's easy to find; most of the larger political and government sites provid
e a link to it.
Thomas Legislative Information provides the full text of legislation, the full text of the Congressional Record, bill summaries and status, and a Hot Legislation area. The full text of the U.S. Constitution is there, as well as information on both hous es of Congress. How Our Laws Are Made explains the meanderings of bills making their way through Congress and the White House.
Links to other resources include the C-SPAN Gopher, the Library of Congress, and sites of many other federal bodies. Everyone should have this site in his or her bookmark file.
 Turn Left |
Liberals are alive and well on the Internet. Turn Left is a place they can go to get information on the issues, learn about liberal movements outside of the U.S., and complain about Republicans.
Much of the site is devoted to listing links to other sympathetic pages. Categories include Issues, Politics, and The World. Each category is further broken down by topic. Turn Left will also post links to the personal home pages of folks who are liber al and proud enough of it to tell the world. In fairness, links to right-of-center sites are also included. All links are well chosen, which makes Turn Left a good launching pad for Web-surfing liberals.
Links alone can't generate much liberal comaraderie. For that, Turn Left provides the Message Wall, where you can post messages other folks can read and comment on.
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| 4. Countdown '96 |
Countdown '96 claims to be the most complete source of information on the 1996 presidential race. It's hard to dispute that, as the site is a comprehensive directory of every imaginable Internet resource on the campaigns -- candidate home pages, party pages, citizen action groups, and more.
| 4.(tie) Lugar for President 1996 |
Dick Lugar is at the back of the Republican pack, but his opponents could learn a thing or two about producing a campaign site from his team. You get the boring stuff that every election site provides -- press releases, statements on issues, and campai gn schedules. Lugar's site, however, makes a real effort to use the Web to reach out to voters. You can send in questions via the site, and maybe your answer will be posted. You can join a forum to discuss issues.
| 6. U.S. Department of Education |
The federal agency's site does an excellent job of explaining the Department of Education's goals. It is also a great resource for teachers and school administrators. For example, the resources on applying for grants or student loans alone make this si te very valuable.
| 7. League of Conservation Voters |
This bipartisan group rates congressmen on their conservation voting record. You will find that data at this site, which might come in hand this election year. Navigation is particularly easy here.
| 7.(tie) Charlotte's WWWeb |
Charlotte has spent a couple of years compiling a list of Internet sites and files related to government reform. If that's your bailiwick, you'll find all the links you need here.
| 9. U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leadership |
The House minority leader and his crew use this site to present their view of the political landscape. It is handsomely done, informative, and easy to navigate.
| 10. Central Intelligence Agency |
The spooks know data, and you'll find lots of it at the CIA's home page. Accessible from this site are the CIA World Fact Book and the CIA Fact Book of Intelligence. Available CIA maps are listed, but you must pay for copies by regular mail.
| 10.(tie) NewtWatch |
Newt Gingrich fans should stay away from this site if they want to keep their blood pressure down. It works hard to make the case that the Speaker of the House is a corrupt, tantrum-throwing liar. It might be off base in a couple of cases, but each sto ry is well-documented and written to amuse.
| 12. Welcome to the White House |
The very popular and friendly site gives a good overview of the government. It also has links to the most significant other government sites. Maps of Washington, DC, show where the various government bodies are located.
| 13. Democratic Socialists of America |
Socialists don't win many elections in America, but they do put out a damn fine Web site. Few other political organizations do such a good job of spelling out who they are and what they stand for. You might not agree with their views, but you will be i nformed about how socialists see the issues.
| 13.(tie) Fidel for President Home Page |
Humor can sometimes make a powerful political statement, and the Fidel for President Home Page is one of the funniest sites on the Web. "Send a real revolution to Washington," says the opening screen. My favorite part is the Top Ten List of why Fidel s hould be president. Reason number 1: Cigars for everyone!
| 15. The Ronald Reagan Home Page |
The Gipper has little to do with this site other than to lend his image. It pays homage to the man and his ideals. The main thrust of the Ronald Reagan page is to provide statistics and other data that promote Reagan's policies.
| 16. Information Headquarters for the Republican Primary |
For a quick rundown on where all the Republican contenders stand, this site is the place to go. You get the basic background and personal data, plus ratings on issues done by special-interest groups on each candidate in a standard format. If that's not enough, you can go directly to the candidate sites from this one.
| 17. U.S. House of Representatives Home Page |
Although not in the same class as the Thomas Legislative Information site, the U.S. House site is a good source of legislative information. You also get links to other key government sites and details on House rules and procedures. It's not fancy, but you can find what you need with little effort.
| 17.(tie) Democratic National Committee |
This well-designed site does a good job of selling the merits of the DNC. You also get links to other key political and government sites, and you can hear RealAudio messages from the President and other democratic luminaries. The What's Cool section fe atures Al Gore's collection of cartoons that caricature him, and some slightly mean-spirited pokes at Newt Gingrich.
| 19. Federal News Service |
Want to know what a certain congressman said yesterday on a given issue? The Federal News Service will likely have it. It chronicles verbatim text of key political events. Unfortunately, it's not all free, but you can access schedules and menus without paying.
| 19.(tie) Rick Tompkins for President |
Who is this guy? Tompkins is a Libertarian presidential candidate with a particularly inviting home page. It is easy to navigate, has all the pertinent information, and allows for two-way communication with the campaign.
| 21. Anti-Rush Limbaugh Page |
Mike Silverman, who also created the Turn Left site, is webmaster here and responsible for the now-infamous morphed Limbaugh/pig image that greets you as you enter. The Anti-Rush page aims to poke holes in the pundit's logic and claims. It also likes t o poke fun at the man and his legion of ditto-heads.
| 21.(tie) Ken's California Voters Guide 1996 |
Ken has compiled an impressive dossier on the presidential, state-, and local-office candidates in California. You get an overview of where they stand and what the issues are. Ken isn't shy about giving an opinion or two.
| 23. CapWeb |
CapWeb is another directory of political and government links. It's not quite as complete as some of the others, but it has unique features such as a listing of all congresscritters with Web sites. Other contact information is provided for those withou t Web sites.
| 23.(tie) The Unofficial Bob Dole Page |
More comprehensive and interesting than the official site, The Unofficial Bob Dole Page provides stories, trivia, and candidate stands on the issues. You also get links to other Bob Dole sites.
| 23.(tie) Dole for President World Wide Web Site |
This official site has improved much since it first appeared. It is now easier to navigate, provides a decent amount of background material, and allows visitors to contact the campaign directly. The Dole Interactive section provides sound and video cli ps, and it presents a trivia quiz. You can also download Dole screen savers.
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